Solutions that don’t break the bank, reinvent the wheel or marginalize our teachers are within our grasp. We could have rigorous classes, safe and disciplined schools and treat teachers like valued colleagues rather than easily replaceable cogs, and we could do so tomorrow if we wanted. Disclaimer, this is an opinion and commentary site and should not be confused as a news site. Also know that quite often people may disagree with the opinions posted.

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Thursday, February 13, 2014

SB member Jason Fischer uses specious arguments to defend vouchers.

I am just
going to get right to it. Jason Fischer
defended his pro voucher stance in Context Florida and as usual when he talks
about school choice he gets it all wrong.

First he
says charter schools, private schools that take vouchers, magnets, dual enrollment,
industry certification and so on all make up the school choice movement. NO NO
NO!!! Did I mention NO!

These school
choice guys have started to co-op everything they can to give charters and
vouchers cover because as the evidence
comes in both are not just taking money away from resource starved public
schools but are woefully underperforming too.

In Florida
250 charter schools have closed over the years and the Stanford Credo study
says that kids that attend them are falling behind. Furthermore private schools
that take vouchers despite being able to decide who they take and keep aren’t
doing better than public schools.

Magnet
schools are not part of the school choice movement and neither are anything
else that happens at a school that starts P.S. Charter schools and private
schools that take vouchers are the sole entities in the school choice movement though
that’s just a gentler way of saying privatization.

He then goes
on to talk about the plight of the students who take vouchers who he makes out
to be little more than street urchins, well friends I spoke with the author of Florida’s
voucher study and he had a slightly different take. Some of what Fischer wrote
is true but he over sells it which is a common theme in his writings.

Fischer then
says voucher schools only take 55 cents on the dollar but I remind you nobody
forces a private school to take vouchers and wasn’t them being able to do
things cheaper and more efficient one of the early school choice narratives?
You know the narrative that is constantly changing as people realize they are
being sold a bill of goods by snake oil salesman.

Then he
balks at the prospect of the students being graded on the same criteria, the
FCAT or what replaces it as public schools students. He asks what about the private
schools that only have a few voucher kids, should they all be required to take
the test too?

No, just the
voucher kids and that accountability should be the price of taking public money.
And friends that is the rub, what he is really saying is give me the money but
don’t worry about the accountability and nobody especially an elected official
should be down with that.